Bio

Tempests

 

As a child growing up in Baltimore, I would sit with my father on the front

porch and watch storms etch their way across the Maryland sky. We

experienced scenes of impending danger from Mother Nature without having

to travel great distances.

 

The vigorous movement of cloud and precipitation, whether from the aerial

view or from a distance, offers compelling drama. There is dynamic

movement in the churning motion of rain, wind and debris from a storm. Pure

energy from violent weather can be exhilaratingly beautiful and at the same

time horrifically destructive, which allows me to expand my palette and value

range to match the intensity of the weather.

 

When I moved to Oklahoma in 1977, I was introduced to the majestic and yet

devasting power of tornadoes. The sheer scale of tornadoes forced me to see

how small humans are in comparison to the epic size of a twister. While

residing in Houston, I have personally survived numerous violent hurricanes,

which has given me more first-hand experiences of the power of mother

nature.

 

In 1999, when I was going through a divorce, I started painting violent weather.

I began to examine how storms can serve as a metaphor for difficult

relationships. Like romance, storms can be beautiful and intriguing while

also being dangerous and destructive. When I paint weather patterns from

above looking down as in a Doppler schematic, the image becomes more

abstract and objective. If I paint them far in the distance, as a looming

presence, the work becomes more expressive implying emerging danger. 

 

If I push the elements of the composition closer to the picture plane with swirling

bits of color and mark making, the image becomes a representation of the

force of destruction which wreaks havoc on life, limb and property.

Over the past 25 years painting storms has inspired me to explore the intrinsic

nature of luminosity and opacity which can be found in different media.

Finding the right medium in my practice, to express the fluid characteristics of

a specific storm and the objects impacted by them, motivates me. 

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